A comparison of the use of video and slides in testing landscape scenic preference

• Main Author: Bell, Donna J.
• Other Authors: Ball State University. Dept. of Landscape Architecture.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Landscape assessment > Simulation methods.; Landscape assessment > Public opinion > Audio-visual aids.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/183685; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/543775

Landscape scenic preference based on user input is an important element in planning decisions. On-site observation is generally not the most efficient method. As a consequence, various landscape simulations have been used including black and white pictures, color pictures, color slides, models, and 16mm film.Recognizing the need to simulate the landscape for user preference testing, the limitations of the presentation media currently being utilized were investigated. Shuttleworth (1980) discussed three possible limitations with photographic simulations: the restrictive field of vision found in a camera, the lack of three-dimensional objects and movement and the need to include landscape elements to resolve conflicts of where objects are in the landscape.Video was selected as the focus of this research because it was a medium which might mitigate the problems found in the use of other media. It was tested against an established presentation medium in the form of slides.Four formats were developed to test forty rural Indiana landscape scenes. All of the thirty respondents in the study participated in the landscape scenic preference testing using slides. The same group was then randomly assigned to three video formats for the second day of testing. Thethree video formats were video pan with sound (video pan is the rotation of the camera on its axis for ninety degrees), video pan without sound, and video hold (video hold is a focus on a particular scene for five to eight seconds).The respondents preference ratings were analyzed using three approaches: Analysis of Variance, Mean ratings of the various scenes, and a questionnaire. The results of this study clearly indicate that video pan with sound is the most accurate presentation medium than can be used to elicit observers' responses to landscape scenery. In addition, this study also suggests that video could have a major impact on understanding observers' preferences and revolutionize current approaches to understanding human behavior in the areas of planning and design. === Department of Landscape Architecture